Equal Employment Specialist (Senior Counselor)

The incumbent serves as a Senior EEO Counselor responsible for administering the informal EEO complaint process in accordance with 29 CFR 1614 and MD-110. As a subject matter expert, provides technical guidance, reviews casework for quality and compliance, and ensures accurate documentation and timely processing. Communicates with employees, managers, and representatives to resolve issues and supports ORM program operations through data tracking, reporting, and training assistance. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/01/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Applying EEO laws and regulations (e.g., 29 CFR 1614, MD-110) to process informal complaints, meet regulatory timeframes and evaluate procedural actions; Reviewing EEO counseling reports and case records for accuracy, completeness, and compliance; Communicating EEO case information clearly to internal and external customers; Maintaining EEO case data in tracking systems. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Administrative Law Technical Competence Writing Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note : Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is essentially sedentary and may involve frequent travel. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ . The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Well-qualified candidates for the GS-12 Senior EEO Counselor position demonstrate experience above the minimum level in applying EEO laws and regulations (e.g., 29 CFR 1614, MD-110) to independently process a full range of informal complaints; reviewing counseling reports and case documentation for accuracy, completeness, and regulatory compliance; providing technical guidance or feedback to counselors or staff; maintaining and monitoring case data in an EEO tracking system; and communicating effectively with employees, managers, and representatives to resolve issues using appropriate conflict management techniques. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at .